c.1920? DeWick Resonator Mandolin

Talk about a top-quality instrument! And also talk about something you don't see every day! This is a mandolin I just finished up work on for a customer. It's a DeWick, probably from the teens or early twenties, and is fantastic, to say the least. Despite its look, it sounds almost like a good carved-top mandolin and is significantly louder than a typical wood-bodied instrument (even desirable old Gibson carved-tops). Plenty of chop, sizzle, and pop in this one's voice.

Gorgeous inlay and binding is everywhere. Loads of pearl! And those tuner buttons? Seven original pearl buttons, one replacement pearl button. Fancy! Bone nut, too.

Bound ebony board with plenty more MOP on top. I dressed these frets just this morning, and now the little lady plays like a champ.

Here's what's so cool about this instrument: not only is the craftsmanship in terms of the inlay, purfling, and binding top quality, the idea is great, too: it's essentially a round mandolin body with the soundholes on the side, glued directly to the back of a deep-style banjo resonator. This does two things: pushes the sound out front amazingly, gives the relatively small (well, it's about the same area as a regular soundboard) soundboard good bass response (no holes to take up valuable area) and separates the vibrating area of the instrument from your body (ie, so you don't mute it with your belly), as the back of the instrument is encased by the resonator's rim.

Originally, this instrument probably had a pickguard that was elevated. This tortoise one looks like it was glued on later (mid 1920s?). There's a pickguard bracket hole that I've filled on the treble side of the rim. The ebony bridge is nicely compensated and tres elegant.

Check out the binding and detail on the side... lovely.

And the neck is adjustable very easily... simply by turning a bolt under the resonator. The heel was broken at one point and well-repaired in the past, though I did fill the outline of it in a little to clean up the appearance. Did I mention the birdseye maple neck? Yikes!

...and the marquetry? Rosewood sides, too!

Side.


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Engraved (or stamped) tuner plate.

Lovely, isn't it? That's all inlaid, my friends!

Back overview.


Just a really superb instrument... tasty.


Here's the neck-angle adjustment.


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Tailpiece looks perhaps a little newer. Not sure. And obviously, a newer strap button.